The present invention relates to an apparatus which aspirates and removes mucus from nasal and sinus cavities, and, more particularly, to a portable mucus removal device having a disposable mucus trap connected to a continuously operated vacuum to withdraw mucus and other material from nasal and sinus cavities in a hygienic manner.
During infancy, most children experience some degree of an allergic condition or upper-respiratory infection that is accompanied by nasal mucus drainage. The degree of nasal mucus drainage varies from slight to chronic depending on the severity of the infection or the allergic reaction. In all cases of infant nasal mucus drainage, however, it is commonly known among pediatric specialists and parents that the best interest of the child is maintained by keeping the child""s nasal passages clear of the mucus. Clearing the nasal passages will potentially minimize infectious growth within the sinuses and nasal passages, and some pediatric specialists posit that a more severe upper-respiratory infection may be avoided or minimized if nasal mucus drainage can be promoted during the early stages of a cold or allergic episode. Clearing nasal passages further provides comfort to the child by easing the respiration of the child. Blocked nasal passages make it difficult for children to eat, drink, and, more importantly, sleep during the night.
There are many means through which to help children having nasal mucus drainage. For example, a variety of internally taken drugs are available to control nasal drainage, including prescription and over-the-counter decongestants, nasal drops, and sprays. However, most of these medications for controlling nasal mucus drainage create undesirable side effects when ingested by the child. Additionally, many mechanical devices have been developed that attempt to expel mucus from the nasal passages. However, none of these devices satisfies the hygienic needs of both the user and the child.
One commonly known mucus removing apparatus is a simple hand-operated device that is illustrated in FIG. 1. This simple device consists of a nasal tip 100 attached to a vacuum bulb 102. In operation, the user squeezes the vacuum bulb 102 and then inserts the nasal tip 100 into a nasal cavity of the child. Once the nasal tip 100 is in the nasal cavity, the user releases the vacuum bulb 102, which creates a limited suction in the nasal cavity to draw mucus from the nasal cavity into the nasal tip 100 and vacuum bulb 102. Several problems are encountered by this configuration. First, the suction generated is limited to the volume and strength of the vacuum bulb 102, and therefore the user is required to repeatedly proceed through the cycle of operation to provide adequate suction, which includes the steps of: squeezing the vacuum bulb 102, inserting the nasal tip 100 into the child""s nasal cavity, and then releasing the vacuum bulb 102 to create the suction necessary. The user must proceed through this cycle numerous times in order to remove even a small portion of the mucus. This problem is magnified in that most infants do not cooperate with this start-stop technique and will often struggle with the user during the process. Moreover, it is greatly desired that the mucus be discharged from the nasal tip 100 between each cycle of operation of the device. This added step further prolongs the time required to remove the undesired matter, and thus increases potential struggle between the child and the user. Additionally, because the child frequently meets this process with great opposition, the child will usually begin to cry during the struggle, which will correspondingly increase the volume and rate of respiration of the child. This further complicates mucus removal due to the fact that when the mucus is vacuumed close to the nasal opening, the user is required to take the device away to re-squeeze the vacuum bulb 102. During this time, the infant will often inhale vigorously, pulling the mucus from the opening of the nasal passage farther back into the nasal passages, which increases the amount of time taken to complete the task of mucus removal. An additional problem may arise in that the user, depending on the user""s hand strength, may experience fatigue during the application of a manual mucus removing device, making the usage of such a device undesirable. Moreover, the user may inadvertently pressurize the vacuum bulb 102 by squeezing the vacuum bulb 102 prematurely prior to removing from the nasal passage, which can push mucus and any other material contained in the device back into the nasal passage instead of removing the mucus.
Another mechanical device that is used to remove mucus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,611 to Babbitt, et al. The design described in this patent includes a bulky housing which encloses a vacuum, a mucus-collecting compartment, a sterilizing compartment, and a storage compartment. A pair of catheters is attached to the mucus-collecting compartment, such that when the vacuum is operating, the mucus will be pulled through the catheter to the mucus-collecting compartment. The mucus is then contained in the mucus-collecting compartment where it can later be discharged through a coupling connection. The operation of this device presents a series of problems for the user, however. First, while the design provides a means for cleaning the catheter members and for discharging collected mucus by placing them in a cleaning solution in the sterilization compartment, the user must nonetheless physically touch the contaminated area surrounding the catheter members or the coupling connection before cleaning these items. Therefore, this design continues to provide an unclean environment for the user. Additionally, while the design described in the Babbitt patent may be transported by the user, the bulky size of the housing is not easily portable for the user, nor is it easy to use with small children.
A drawback to both of the designs described above, as well as other related embodiments, is that the user is frequently required to touch, at least in some manner, the mucus that was withdrawn by the device. As is commonly known, colds and other infectious pathogens can be spread by a person""s contact with nasal mucus that contains the pathogens. Therefore, these devices promote the transfer of colds when the user""s hands make contact with the infectious matter and then touch their own various mucus membranes. With the prior art mucus removing devices, there is no mechanism provided to collect and separately contain the removed mucus where it can be disposed of without personal contact. At a minimum, current designs require that the user rinse the infected apparatus in some type of sanitizing solution or boil the entire device to sterilize the system, which means that the user is required to make contact with the device before the device may be sanitized.
What is needed, then, and not found in the prior art, is a device for removing mucus from a person""s nasal cavity that provides a consistent suction for eradicating the mucus and that provides a means for disposing of the collected mucus without requiring physical contact by the user.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person""s nasal cavity.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person""s nasal cavity that provides a substantially steady and consistent suction to remove mucus from a person""s nasal cavity.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person""s nasal cavity that provides a mucus trap member for collecting the mucus drained via the suction.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person""s nasal cavity that includes ejection means for expelling the mucus trap member away from the housing with minimal, if any, physical contact by the user.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person""s nasal cavity that includes a disposable means for collecting the mucus from that person.
It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person""s nasal cavity that is portable to easily be used with a small child.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished through the present automatic mucus removal device for extracting mucus from a nasal cavity. The present invention includes an easily transportable housing which encases a compact vacuum source connected to a power source, and to which a disposable mucus trap member is removably attached. The housing is preferably in the shape of a pistol, having a base portion and a barrel portion. The mucus trap member is preferably attached to one end of the barrel portion of the housing, while an ejection rod is resiliently mounted to the opposing end of the barrel portion. The compact vacuum source and the power source are mounted in the base portion of the housing, with a conduit connecting the vacuum source to the mucus trap member. A switch is further mounted to the housing to provide a switch to provide an electrical connection between the vacuum source and the power source.
In operation, the vacuum source creates a differential pressure that further provides suction within the mucus trap member via the conduit. The mucus trap member is then placed in close proximity to the nasal cavity of the child such that mucus is drawn into the mucus trap member. The mucus is confined in the mucus trap member until the user has substantially extracted the undesirable mucus. Once the project is completed, the user may then depress the ejection rod, which thereby engages the mucus trap member to dislodge the mucus trap member from the housing. The user is therefore not required to contact the mucus trap member or the mucus associated therewith, and the mucus trap member may be discarded or cleaned as desired.